Illinois (18-20, 4-8) bolstered its home record to 8-5 on the year with a victory over Valparaiso (17-22) on Wednesday. Scoring only occurred in the second inning, but the runs came in abundance, and Illinois’ pitchers hit their targets to sustain the lead.
Valparaiso scores first, Illinois responds
In the top of the second inning with a Beacon on first base, a double brought in the first run to establish a 1-0 lead over the Illini. However, this double ended up being one of only three hits the Beacons mustered all game.
After that, Illinois took control of the matchup. First, junior shortstop Lizzie Stiverson and redshirt sophomore center fielder Alaina Miller drilled back-to-back singles to get on base. Stiverson finished 2-3 at the plate and elaborated on her performance Wednesday and her season thus far.
“I felt really proud of myself,” Stiverson said. “Going from JUCO to this has been kind of a hard journey. But starting to adjust, my coaches, my teammates have really been on me and helping me through this process, so it felt really good.”
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Stiverson played alongside junior right-handed pitcher Karley Yergler at Parkland College, and since then, the two have embraced the Illini energy on the field. After Stiverson got on base, freshman catcher and utility player Keirys Click drew a walk to load the bases.
With two outs, it was none other than sophomore first baseman Eileen Donahue who smashed a grand slam to take the 4-1 lead over Valparaiso. This marked her fourth game in a row in which she hit a home run, and she doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon.
“I’m so excited about Eileen,” head coach Tyra Perry said. “She’s from the state of Illinois, she loves this school. She’s a great listener. We have high-level conversations just about hitting, about softball … She’s just really responsible and responsive. I love Eileen.”
Immediately following Donahue’s dinger, sophomore third baseman Adisyn Caryl launched one over the wall herself to add to the lead.
Yergler’s circle
Yergler got her record above 0.500 (6-5) with this victory over the Beacons. She pitched five innings and struck out five batters. If it wasn’t a strikeout, it was either a flyout or an easy groundout to quickly get the innings moving.
“She’s a competitor,” Perry said about Yergler. “She just wants to win, and she loves Illinois. She had an orange and blue onesie for goodness’ sake. She’s just the kind of kid you want on your team and in your program.”
Maintained enthusiasm
Before this win, Illinois hadn’t seen consecutive victories in over a month. But the hits have been flowing, pitches have been on target and, most of all, the energy has been through the roof amongst the team.
“The energy is always electric,” Stiverson said. “I’ve been talking to other players this year; I think it’s been really special with the certain players we have in the dugout, and we just make it special every single time.”
Win or lose, the Illini have each other’s backs, and they keep the positivity alive through mutual support and consistent improvement.
@tess_eken
